


Take a Piece of my Heart

by Bates



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, Kittens, M/M, Mary WInchester (child of Sam and Jess)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 19:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4534806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bates/pseuds/Bates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>University is exhausting, as is studying. Castiel is pretty positive that he can't feel any more tired than in that moment. It turns out kittens make everything better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Piece of my Heart

**Author's Note:**

> For [casnovck](casnovck.tumblr.com) Happy birthday dear! c: I don’t know if I’m still on time for your time zone but oh well. Some fluff with kittens and deancas! ♥

Sometimes, it was easy to lose track of time. Castiel wasn't exactly sure when the days had started bleeding into nights and when the ink of his pen had started staining his fingertips. He was so utterly and completely  _done_ with being a student and his finals hadn't even properly begun yet. Words were dancing in front of his eyes; scrawly versions of words like  _white blood cells_  and  _deficiency_ kept haunting him and ghosting across pages. He was pretty sure that they'd come to personally insult him and his efforts of getting good grades.

He knew that grades weren't everything and that even if he didn't put this much effort into it, he would probably succeed. But nobody wanted a doctor that barely got through school, so he basically had no option. He was not spooked enough about the exams to go into frenzy mode  _just yet_. Energy drinks and all-nighters were still the back up plan. He vaguely remembered the previous year, when Monster had been the only way he'd been able to even attend his last exam.

But those were times from the past. Now he lived in an actual apartment, things were quieter. No more teens coming back drunk - at least his across the hall neighbor hadn't done so yet - and barely any distractions once he put his headphones on.

Castiel couldn’t complain about his college life, no matter how much he complained about the actual studying. In fact, part of him loved his little routine. He got up at eight, started working or studying at half past eight, took his breaks in the local coffee shop where he chatted with Jessica and afterwards went back home to do more work. In a lot of ways, life was almost perfect for him. Everything happened in routines and nothing ever changed that bad that it threw him off.

 

He awoke with an ache in his neck and ink not only on his fingertips but also on his cheek. His fountain pen had dug into the flesh, leaving it sore to the touch. It was his fault, after falling asleep on his books around two am, too tired to even move from his spot (or close the window for that matter. It almost felt as if he hadn’t slept at all, even though he knew he had. He sleepily rubbed his eyes, almost cursing when he took a glance at the clock.

“Why am I even up?” He sighed before rubbing his eyes. Cas might a well get up and get some coffee, relax for a little bit before he started studying and close the damn window. It felt ice cold in his apartment. That was when  _something_ in the bed moved. he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he certainly did  _not_  scream his lungs out. Okay, maybe he did.

Big eyes watched him from the foot of the bed,  _scared_ at what he'd do. So he wasn't the only one that was freaked out. He by the little fluffy and adorable stranger at his feet, the kitten at, well, him. He sighed before stretch out his hand, letting the kitten slowly find trust in him.

"That's better, isn't it?" The little kitten spun as he scratched behind its ear and slowly closer. It probably should have gotten away from him or trust him this easily, but the little one seemed to be sold on Cas and his petting. It almost melted against him. It wasn’t like he  _minded_  the company. A kitten had never hurt anybody and well, it was a gorgeous one. Dark ochre fur and the gentlest of meows.

“Whose are you huh?” he asked with a smile on his lips. This was one way of waking up after all. “Let’s see.” The little kitten didn’t have a collar with a nameplate on it and considering the hour, Castiel couldn’t exactly go to a vet to see if it was chipped. So, they did what every sensible person would do; take a break from studying. He settled into bed with the little one after getting himself some coffee. The kitten - baptized Button for it's tiny button nose - was using him as a human jungle gym. It was nice though and well, most he had actually laughed in quite a while. Button raised themselves up on their back legs looking determined and not up to anything good before launching themselves at Cas and attacking his arm.

“Mind the flesh little one. If no one comes claim you, I’m going to keep you.”

 

Castiel found out later that day that the kitten had been chipped, but that the owner had passed away a few days prior. The kitten, along with her brother had been send off to a shelter for safekeeping. The little thing had been smart enough to escape and that made Castiel truly wonder just  _how_ good the shelter was at keeping its animals in check.

It was how Castiel ended up with two kittens and a mouthful of fur every morning. It was also how he ended up taking naps during his exams and actually finished them with good grades. Buttons (he liked the plural a bit more than the singular Button) and Darwin - named after the geologist - always curled up over his books around two am, as if they wanted to tell him that  _come on human, it’s time for sleep._

The kittens also got him a boyfriend. It was peculiar and weird, but one morning, Darwin had been missing. He'd looked everywhere and even  _asked_ Buttons where her brother had gone off to - not that he'd gotten an actual reply - but found him nowhere. Eventually he'd given up looking and just laid down on the couch, convinced that Darwin  could come back on his own accord. He was the adventurer of the two.

That was until his doorbell had rang at eleven am and Dean stood there, a tiny meowing Darwin curled up in his arms. Castiel didn't quite know how it went from ' _hey, I found your cat in my bed?'_ to ' _hey so I'm babysitting my niece and she loves kittens can we please come over_ '. That night had been pleasant. Little Mary had laughed and cooed at the kittens, who had no idea what to do with this tiny human that picked them up for hugs every few minutes. Buttons quickly fell in love with her though, scratching at the doorpost and looking up at Castiel with sad eyes after they left.

He'd scratched the little kitten's head and curled up with her on the couch. "Yeah, I know. They'll be back though."

 

Four months later and they were an actual _item_ now, had been for a month or so. Cas didn't quite know to describe what he felt for his crazy mechanic of a boyfriend that had the most gorgeous eyes and a dazzling smile. All he knew was that Darwin loved him and maybe, he did too. Just a little bit.

Cas would never get used to the mornings, waking up to see Dean sprawled out next to him with Darwin curled up on his chest. He didn't quite fit anymore, not the way that he did when he was smaller, but he still did it. Dean always looked so happy and relaxed in sleep, as if he didn't have a worry in the world. It was what he invoked in Cas, that warmth that settled in his heart and wouldn't let go.

He loved him and realized that now. God, Castiel loved Dean with all of his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me on [Tumblr](http://buriedsam.tumblr.com) (writing). If you're reading this on the ninth of August, please do go wish [her](http://casnovck.tumblr.com) a happy birthday, she deserves some love! ♥


End file.
